The Rotary Ice Rink at Travis Park has made its return for the holidays, providing skaters young and old a way to beat the heat of South Texas winter. The attraction also allows those brave enough to lace up their skates the chance to show off their skills — or just remain upright and off the ice.
The Rotary Club of San Antonio and Centro San Antonio are jointly bringing the rink to 301 E. Travis St. now through Jan. 5. Valero Energy Corp. is the presenting sponsor.
Tickets are best purchased in advance to reserve a time between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday. Weekend times are 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.
Military and first responders get in free on Mondays, and Santa makes an appearance for pictures with the kiddos from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except on Dec. 1. The organizers didn’t disclose the whereabouts of Kris Kringle on that date.
General admission tickets are $15 and are available on the ice rink website.
It’s not unusual for San Antonio winters to feature days with highs in the 80s, so just how do they keep Travis Park from turning into a shallow pond?
“Most outdoor rinks will use a chiller set at minus five degrees, which is essentially a large refrigerator, running 24 hours a day to keep the ice frozen,” according to ice skates manufacturer Riedell.
So, now you know.
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This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.